


to heal one's soul

by kumo_is_kumo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Consolation, Fluff, Implied one night stand, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 08:07:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20239528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kumo_is_kumo/pseuds/kumo_is_kumo
Summary: Kyungsoo wakes up in a stranger's bed, being served with nice smelling breakfast, and somehow finding the way to heal himself.





	to heal one's soul

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** Reckless #18  
**Warnings:** Implied one night stand, First time drinking  
**Author’s note:** Hello dear prompter, first of all, I hope you won't be disappointed with this fic. This is not exactly like how you prompted, and I only took the general idea of it, because I planned to make it a simple story with a deeper feeling. Please enjoy this short fic and let me know if you like it!  
Shout out to my beta and soulmate L! I couldn't do anything without you so thank you!!  
And for the mods, thank you for hosting this fest once again! I really enjoyed joining this!  
Thank you, everyone! ^^

Somehow, when Kyungsoo wakes up feeling disoriented in the morning, the air smells a lot like toast and coffee. It’s a weird feat because Kyungsoo is still in the bed and he hardly likes any coffee, so the question is; who is it that’s cooking for him?

When he flips his eyes open, the ceiling is so high and different from a normal one, he muses. The faint noises of a pan, of a timer blaring, of a kettle blowing its steam, everything makes Kyungsoo realize that he is not in the confines of his own house.

The covers slid down to his lap when he sits up on the foreign bed, still pretty much tired and bare, but he doesn’t really have the chance to think much further about it when the door opens somewhere, alerting him of the presence of a stranger who might possibly be the owner of the house.

“You are awake.” The tall stranger says, a smile adorning his face and a tray held in both his hands. Kyungsoo stares at the stranger with his eyes wide open, free from any left over drowsiness from before.

A hand goes to ruffle his messy hair and Kyungsoo unconsciously bends his head down a bit at the surprising touch. The warmth is there right beside him and his mind is reeling over the fact that the stranger is giving him a soft kiss on his temple.

“I have your breakfast.”

As Kyungsoo stares ahead at the stranger smiling so prettily at him, his mind goes back to what had happened last night.

*

Life is getting boring and Kyungsoo lets out yet another sigh of the day while staring out of the window of the bus he is seated in. Sometimes he wonders whether he really will spend the rest of his life doing the exact same thing over and over again. Don’t get him wrong, he might have been perfect like people have always kept saying so, but somehow the perfection is not entirely perfect for him.

Getting into his favorite university, scoring the highest point every time, and attending every class without fail, everything starts to bore him down to a state of him skipping classes just to find something new for him to focus on. Somehow, his focus is no longer on the need to study and to score the best rank, but instead to find something else that makes him happier.

It was a happy moment; when he was still focusing to be the best.

He doesn’t know when or what had happened that made him lose his interest in studying. He just realizes that with him focusing on studying and forcing himself to be the very best, he was losing a part of himself. Being the best in his study is not his wish, it’s everyone’s wish upon him.

Kyungsoo drops his books and takes off his reading glasses, rising up from his computer chair to finally make a move. If not him, who else?

Baekhyun is unreachable during the weekends, probably spending his time being committed to his boyfriend, so Kyungsoo would prefer to do this whole plan all by himself. He grabs his wallet and takes the bus to Hongdae, spending a few thousand wons on buying himself the outfit he has always wanted to wear, but never had the courage to dress up with.

As he stands in front of the mirror, Kyungsoo almost doesn’t recognize himself with how different he is. The usual him would be wearing training pants and some sports hoodie, glasses sitting on top of his nose, and with a bare face. This, him being in this new look, wearing branded leather, a glittery outfit that makes him look like another person, somehow Kyungsoo finds a little comfort in this look.

When night finally comes by, Kyungsoo takes the taxi to Gangnam, heading straight to an exclusive public club. He can already hear the booming sounds of the music and bass even when he is still standing outside. The beats sends him a chill, his adrenaline rushing, and Kyungsoo feels his lips curl into a tiny smile.

He takes a step forward, thinking that he actually still has a chance to turn back to his goody two shoes student. It’s still not too late to not commit something that was never his style, but Kyungsoo wants this; he steps into the club, uncaring of the rest of the world.

Bodies are dancing against one another, loud music booming all over the club, and the scent of expensive perfumes and alcohol is hitting his nose. Kyungsoo glances around in awe. Never in his life had he ever imagined to be doing this kind of impulsive thing.

The bartender gives him a smile, seemingly noticing that he was new in there. Kyungsoo scoots closer when the bartender crooks his finger at him, calling him over to come closer.

“First time?” She asks and Kyungsoo finds himself nodding. He hopes he is not making a fool out of himself. The bartender smiles again and proceeds to give him a small glass of a drink.

“It’s a light alcohol, because we don’t know how well you can handle your liquor just yet.”

Kyungsoo sends her a thankful smile and he goes to sip the drink, humming at the mix of bitter and sweetness of the taste. She leaves him alone to attend to another customer and Kyungsoo takes the chance to turn around in his seat to take a look around the whole club.

There are some private booths somewhere to the side and the dance floor was in the center. Watching everyone dancing almost makes Kyungsoo want to dance, but he is not sure if he is a great dancer so he just tones down the need. Maybe next time, if he doesn’t regret it after coming back home later.

The neon leds blink all the time and the music boosts from all the speakers. Kyungsoo wonders if coming here was really a good decision, but then again, he doesn’t have to start this self debate because he is already here. Besides, he is actually quite enjoying himself. No one knows him here, no one is expecting him to be the best, no one is going to be judging his life choices, and no one cares for him enough to ask him why he is living his life the way it is. 

Thinking back to the time he chose to go out of his small town and head to the big city of Seoul, Kyungsoo can’t seem to chase away the images of his parents, his relatives, who were staring at him as if he was crazy. They thought that he would be likely to die alone in the big city, not knowing how to take care of himself. They wanted him to take over the traditional grocery mart in their town, which Kyungsoo appreciated the move, but it was certainly not his dream.

He dreamed of stepping into Seoul, looking up at skyscraper buildings and earning his own money to feed himself. No one told him that it would be easy and he knew that, but he also didn’t need everyone to go against his wish. Somehow that made him think that no one cared enough for him to even listen to him.

He went ahead with his plan, only giving one apology to his parents. They couldn’t do anything to stop him when they saw how determined he was with his wish. They kept telling him to live his life the way he wanted, but they left him with such big expectations. Such expectations for him to make it big in the city, or they wouldn’t forgive him for leaving them.

Kyungsoo feels burdened by everything, that studying and reaching his dream has become something that he starts to hate. He is in search of the meaning of his life, something that wouldn’t make him grow bored after a while, something that can keep him going for a long time, and something that can make him feel comfortable and safe in his heart and mind.

He just wants to settle comfortably without having expectations and loneliness creeping behind his back.

A tap on the bar counter wakes him up from his deep thought. Kyungsoo then realizes that he has already finished his drink and all the while gripping onto an empty glass. Somehow he drifted back into his deep thoughts without realizing that he is supposed to be having fun right now.

A new glass shot is pushed towards his hand and Kyungsoo gazes down to see the fully filled drink. At the realization that someone has joined him at the bar counter, he glances to the side and find a man slightly smiling at him.

“You look lonely, so I suppose I need to accompany you.” The man says, still with a smile that holds a thousand meaning. Kyungsoo glances back to his empty glass and then to the new glass in front of him. He guesses the man bought him a drink.

He does nothing and he still looks lonely, somehow the thought of him looking like that sends him deeper into his misery.

“Thanks.” Kyungsoo mutters softly, reaching for the new drink. It’s exactly the same as his previous one so he sips carefully before he finishes the boost.

“So, what is a fine man like you doing here alone, looking so deep in your thoughts?”

Not entirely wrong, he wants to say, but chooses to just offer the man a smile.

“What’s in your pretty little head?” The man asks again and Kyungsoo considers of spilling some of his misery to the man. It’s not like he has anything to lose and he won’t be seeing the man again after this anyway.

“What do you think of the meaning of your life?” Kyungsoo blurts out softly, catching the man off guard before the man sends him a soft look.

“Everyone’s life is different so you can’t ask me about it.”

Kyungsoo chuckles softly, “Well, for starters, your life then.”

“My life, huh? Let’s see.” The man leans his head against his fist, his eyes trained on Kyungsoo’s face like he is the most interesting thing for his eyes to fall upon. “My life is pretty good. I have work and I have my family, I have good friends, I have enough money to feed myself daily.”

“You seem to have a good life.” Kyungsoo comments softly, tilting his head a bit.

The man laughs gently. “People would say that if they hear it from that point of view. Do you know this feeling… like you have everything but you still look for something that you yourself don’t even know what it is? Something just feels empty here.” He points to his chest where his heart is.

Kyungsoo hums before downing the rest of his drink in one swift shot. “I might know. Something just seems lacking here, yet I don’t have everything like you. I have nothing.”

“Everyone has that something and you might not have seen it just yet, so I’m gonna say that you are wrong about that.”

“You don’t even know me,” Kyungsoo murmurs softly, glancing away and finding it surprising when the man reaches a hand forward to ruffle his hair. Kyungsoo looks up and gazes at the man through his now fallen bangs which are almost covering his sight. The man is grinning to him as if he had just said the best joke.

“Let me get to know you and then you can decide if I can be a good judge about your life.” He offers Kyungsoo a gentle smile.

The man said just a few mere normal words, but Kyungsoo feels his eyes tearing up a bit. The alcohol might have to be blamed for his messed up mood but having a mere stranger sitting right beside him and indirectly offering his spare time to listen to the story of his life makes Kyungsoo a whole emotional mess.

He lifts his fist and rubs on his eyes, trying to chase the need to cry. He hasn’t cried in so long, despite feeling the urge to since this whole time. He just doesn’t think that crying can solve anything in his life so he never cries.

“What’s wrong, hm?” The hand on his head gently pats down his messy hair, a move that somehow gives a little bit of consolation to Kyungsoo.

“I don’t know what went wrong really.” He sniffs as his sight grows blurrier at each passing second. Really, he doesn’t know what went wrong in his life. He got to follow what he wished for, he got to do what he really wanted to do, so now why does it all feel so wrong?

“Do you perhaps need a hug?” The stranger asks, offering him his arms. Kyungsoo looks up with his eyesight blurred with tears, which he doesn’t know when it started to form in his eyes. The offer is inviting, because so far no one really cared to console him. 

“If… If that’s okay,” he croaks out, wiping a lone tear from the corner of his eye. The man smiles, “Of course. Come closer.”

Kyungsoo would certainly regret his decision tomorrow, but he doesn’t really care for now. He just needs something or someone to vent his burden to. A kind stranger bought him a drink and even offered him a hug. It’s a chance that he is not going to waste at all.

The hug is warm, exceptionally warm, that Kyungsoo finds himself closing his eyes to savor every second of the moment. He doesn’t know a hug could feel this warm and comforting, and to think it’s from a stranger he barely knows the name of.

A hand settles gently on the back of his head, gently caressing him. 

“I don’t know what happened in your life, but everyone has their own down moment. I had one too and it was not a while ago. Everyone copes with it in their own different ways, so you have to find your way.”

Kyungsoo sniffs, nodding his head against the stranger’s shoulder. 

“The time is not the same for everyone. A day, a week, a month, a year, even a few years, we don’t know how long it’s going to take for us to heal. The only thing I can say to you is for you to keep holding on. We don’t know for sure what’s going to happen on the next day. You can have your bad day today and you might get a really amazing day tomorrow. Okay?”

The soft hoarse ‘okay’ that Kyungsoo lets out is muffled into the fabric of the stranger’s thick jacket. He leans back, suddenly feeling self conscious with how embarrassing he is. A breathy chuckle escapes from his mouth.

“Oh. One more thing.” The man says, holding him up by cupping his flushed cheeks in his palms. Kyungsoo looks up when the man tilts his head up so they can have an eye contact.

“You are not alone, okay? I’m sure talking to people you trust will be helpful.” He says, thumbs wiping the stray tear drops. Kyungsoo nods his head, giving a slight forced smile to the stranger. 

He still can’t believe that he let his guard down in front of a stranger. He cried in front of a stranger, but he felt comfort from the very same person. It’s ridiculous, but somehow he doesn’t detest the whole idea of it.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo murmurs, unable to maintain a long eye contact with the man.

He hears a soft laugh and he dares himself to peek up. The smile is pretty, so kind and so comforting, and he feels like another part of his burden is lifted off of his shoulder. He doesn’t know what came over his brain, but Kyungsoo just tilts his head up slightly to press his lips against the stranger’s smiling ones.

It takes the man by surprise, but he doesn’t have the time to react because the soft kiss is over before he can even blink. Kyungsoo leans back, watching the man’s expression carefully, he doesn’t know what kind of reaction he is actually expecting.

“Sorry about that-” He mutters, but the man laughs softly.

“You took me by surprise, really. I didn’t expect that one coming.” He says, still wearing that pretty smile on his face and Kyungsoo feels himself breathe in relief.

The hands on his cheeks hold a bit firmer, and Kyungsoo finds himself being tugged closer. The next thing he knows, his eyes close when the man kisses him. Properly this time. 

Kyungsoo fists the man’s jacket, his mind reeling over the fact that he is kissing a complete stranger and that he is enjoying it. He is sure that he has sobered up from the alcohol but somehow he doesn’t have any control over himself.

Lips mold against his own, tender and plump. Kyungsoo breathes into the kiss, his shoulders sagging down in relaxation as the man gently leads him into a slow rhythm. He is back on his two feet, unaware of when he rises up from his seat because his whole focus is on the kiss. 

When the man stops kissing him, Kyungsoo parts his mouth in greed for more. The man leans back to read his face and when he doesn’t run away, the man smiles at him.

“Come with me.” He whispers softly, leaning just close enough to steal a kiss from Kyungsoo’s flushed cheeks.

Kyungsoo nods his head distractedly, letting the man laces their fingers together and tugging him out of the club. They get into a car, which Kyungsoo doesn’t really pay much attention to. The engine roars softly while the man drives him away, heading to a place he clearly doesn’t have any idea where of. When the red light flashes, the man crosses the gap between them to kiss him softly on the mouth. In return, he curls one arm around the man’s neck to deepen the kiss.

The whole thing is so blinding, it’s moving too fast for Kyungsoo’s brain to follow, but for once he doesn’t mind it all. Being distracted from his life, entering a whole new zone, it’s making him feel alive and it’s been so long since the last he felt this way.

The door beeps close behind his back and Kyungsoo tilts his head back when the man kisses him again, so deep and powerful enough to make him weak in his knees. Kyungsoo grips onto the man’s jacket and he breathes out loudly when the man gently pulls him from the doorway.

He falls, his back hitting the soft bed. The bounce alerts him of where this is going and he is aware of it, but he just opens his arms and lets the man fall into his embrace. The gentle kisses and hushed whispers make him feel alive.

This is not something he was looking for when he decided to go to the club. He was expecting a whole lonely time while drinking in his self misery. He certainly didn’t expect to go home with someone, getting mind blowing kisses, and becoming a whole whimpering mess. 

Today, he decides to let go all of the burden and expectation. His heart is hurting because of things that he doesn’t know. 

“Don’t think too much,” the man murmurs against the bare skin of his shoulder. Kyungsoo nods at the man’s words, relaxing himself and throwing all sorts of negativity out of the window.

As he envelopes the man with his two arms, Kyungsoo realizes that this might be his most irresponsible act. This seems physical to other people; making out with a mere stranger, getting in bed with them, but not for him. There is something else than a physical attraction, there is a deep connection of feelings between them. The man barely knows him, barely knows his life and what struggles he is experiencing, but he just  _ understands _ . He was there at the exact moment when Kyungsoo was falling down, there to catch him without really asking much. He was there when Kyungsoo was at his lowest, offering affection and care with his gentle smile.

And there was his warm, comforting hug too. 

The night is young when Kyungsoo lets everything go, not thinking about anything and just enjoying the flow.

He clutches onto the man’s sturdy back, gasping the man’s name and tuning every whisper in his head off.

*

“You are awake.” The tall stranger says, a smile adorning his face and a tray held in both his hands. Kyungsoo stares at the stranger with his eyes wide open, free from any left over drowsiness from before. 

A hand goes to ruffle his messy hair and Kyungsoo unconsciously bends his head down a bit at the surprising touch. The warmth is there right beside him and his mind is reeling over the fact that the stranger is giving him a soft kiss on his temple.

“I have your breakfast.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth parts open but nothing comes out. Like… what is actually happening?

He doesn’t forget things… he is just not sure whether he really did let himself go  _ wild _ last night. The images is enough to make his head spin, and no, this is not from the hangover.

The tray is placed on his lap, while the man pulls the fallen cover up to wrap his bare torso. Kyungsoo steals some glances at the man while his hands keep the cover around him from falling back again, trying to seek for any kind of confirmation that they indeed slept together and it was not just his imagination.

“I… Uh, what-”

The man looks up from opening the butter, “Yes?” He answers softly. 

Kyungsoo stutters with words, yet the man waits patiently for him, even offering him a piece of toast which he finally accepts with a quiet sigh. The toast is crispy when Kyungsoo finally bites down onto it, his gaze being kept away from the man’s smiley one. 

“Is it good?” The man asks, reaching a thumb to wipe the toast crumble from the corner of his lips. Kyungsoo chokes on the last bite of his toast, nodding vigorously while being handed a glass of orange juice.

“I don’t think you would want any coffee. I usually have it black and bitter and you don’t seem to be the type to like any bitter coffee.” The man says, patting him on the back. Kyungsoo just settles with a nod and chugs down the fresh orange juice to keep his mouth busy. He wants to ask so many things and it’s important but he doesn’t know how to start.

When he puts the empty glass down, the man smiles. “I’m sure you have a lot to ask.”

Kyungsoo nods and lets the man takes the now empty tray away from his lap, placing it on top of the bedside drawer. He then sits right beside Kyungsoo, his legs folded.

“You can ask anything. Don’t hesitate.”

“I…” Kyungsoo takes a glance up to meet the man’s eyes, “What exactly happened… last night?”

The smile he gets is bright.

“You don’t remember anything?”

“No, I- I remember everything, I just-” Kyungsoo pauses midway, suddenly feeling too self conscious about the whole thing. “I’m just… I just want to make sure… about it?”

The man offers him a lopsided smile, too pretty for Kyungsoo to handle early this morning. His head is still a mess and a pretty smile is not what he needs at the moment. 

“Okay, let me confirm it for you then.” 

Kyungsoo watches as the man sits even more properly relaxed, as if he is going to tell him a tale or something. 

“I saw you alone at the bar,” the man starts slowly, his careful hand reaching for Kyungsoo’s and holding onto it so dearly, “and I couldn’t let you stay alone with that miserable look on your face. Your pretty face doesn’t suit the sad look.”

To say that Kyungsoo was shy is an understatement, because now he is embarrassed as hell. 

“I just bought you a drink, I guess? You just looked so sad that I didn’t like it, so we talked for a bit. You asked me about life in general.” His thumb gently caresses along Kyungsoo’s knuckles.

Kyungsoo glances down and stares at the sight of his hand being held gently. He doesn’t know where the thought comes but he doesn’t mind it.

“You cried for a bit. Hey, it’s not that embarrassing,” he laughs when Kyungsoo lets out a grunt.

“That’s okay. Crying helps you solve some difficult feelings in your chest.” The man ruffles Kyungsoo’s messy hair with his other hand. Kyungsoo bends his head lower, too shy to even lift it up back.

“You looked like you needed a hug so I offered you one. And I took you back to my place. To here. And here we are, Kyungsoo.”

At the mention of his name, Kyungsoo whips his head up. “You know my name.”

The man gives him a teasing disbelief look. “You told me your name, dear.”

Kyungsoo flushes at the endearment term. The man laughs when he curls himself more into the covers. Oh, that reminds him of his naked state. Did they really do it then?

“You kissed me.” The man blurts out lowly and Kyungsoo freezes at the mention of it. “That took me by surprise, but I couldn’t say I hated it.”

Kyungsoo lets out a muted yelp when the man leans closer to kiss the side of his temple.

“Yes, we slept together if that’s what you have been wondering. And I didn’t regret it at all. I hope you don’t too.”

Regret? Well, Kyungsoo definitely doesn’t regret anything. He just can’t handle the embarrassment for now, because waking up in your one night stand’s bed and getting served breakfast is not something that happens usually in this circumstance.

“I… Jongin-”

“You remember my name.” The man says, smiling brightly. “Thanks for remembering.” He pecks Kyungsoo on the cheek, in which Kyungsoo lets out a whine of embarrassment. 

“That’s- that’s not the point- hey, don’t laugh!” Kyungsoo grunts when the man lets out a cheery laugh at his face. He waits for the man to stop laughing, but he can’t hold it in anymore because the man’s laugh is contagious he ends up laughing as well.

He doesn’t know how long they spend the time to just laugh over nothing, but when they recover from it, he finds the man—Jongin—to be staring at him with a fond look. 

With the breakfast finished, Kyungsoo gets a new set of fresh clothes to put on after he washes himself. Jongin is out there in the living room waiting for him, he wants to talk more about what happened between them. Kyungsoo is actually pretty nervous about the whole thing, because it’s not everyday that you wake up in someone else’s bed.

When he walks into the living room clad in the man’s clothes, he is greeted with a warm smile that almost instantly makes his knees weak. He doesn’t know what kind of effect that the man has upon him, but it seems to be severe.

“Come here and join me. Do you have somewhere you need to be at right now?”

Kyungsoo glances to the clock and just stares, his brain reeling over the fact that he has been late for more than forty minutes to his class but he can’t find it in himself to care. He’s been skipping too many times already and now it became a habit.

“Not really,” he drags the last word and it’s blatantly a lie, but Jongin doesn’t mention about it. 

As soon as he joins the man on the couch, he can feel the awkwardness in himself. It doesn’t seem to be an issue for Jongin though.

“So, any questions?” Jongin asks him. Kyungsoo ponders over the millions of thoughts flying around in his head, not really sure on how to start this whole heavy conversation, but he knows that they have to talk about it.

“What… what did I tell you exactly? Last night?” Kyungsoo finds himself asking before he can stop himself. Somehow, the voice in the back of his head is telling him that it’s pretty much embarrassing for him to blurt about his life to someone he barely knows.

“Not much,” Jongin starts slowly, a small smile playing on his lips, “but you did ask me about what I thought about my life.”

“Did I… tell you other things?” Kyungsoo croaks out.

“No, you didn’t, if that’s what you are worried about. Don’t worry, I didn’t pry that much about your private problems.”

Kyungsoo heaves out a breath, but then the man continues, “But as I said last night, you are not alone. People cope in different ways, so you have to find a way for you to heal the wounds in your soul.”

He looks up and finds Jongin grinning so prettily, looking so damn nice and kind.

“I didn’t say that because I’m an expert in this or what, but I just want to tell you that speaking to other people might help. It won’t make you feel better right in an instant, but it helps lighten some burdens in your chest.”

Kyungsoo gazes down to his hands. “People, huh…”

“Do you have some people who you can share your burdens with?”

He shrugs. “People… are not entirely kind. They have so much expectations on me.”

There his mouth blurting things again. When will he learn?

“I have a lot of people around me,” Kyungsoo continues, “they are always breathing down on my neck. It’s pretty much burdening for me because if I ever make one simple mistake, they wouldn’t let me live without mentioning it over and over again.”

“Oh, so those kind of people.” Jongin mutters thoughtfully.

“Yeah, those people are not entirely the best people that I have ever met in my life. They were once the people I looked up to, the people I thought would be my escape from reality… but they are not.”

Silence washes over them as Kyungsoo shuts his mouth after uttering his last word. Somehow, he feels slightly emotional with how easy it is for him to open up to a stranger. His eyes sting and he doesn’t know where the urge to cry is coming from, considering that he rarely ever feels this sad and down. Or maybe he always has, but was never one to admit it out loud.

Jongin scoots closer and drapes a hand over his own, making him lift his gaze up from his lap. The smile that Jongin offers him is strangely comforting.

“You know, I barely know you and we just met last night. It was not an ideal meeting, with us being drunk and all, but I do want to know more about you. If you let me.”

Kyungsoo ponders over those words in his head. The man wants to know more about him.

“Why?” He asks.

Jongin frowns for a bit, but then another smile blooms across his face.

“You are just enticing. I’m not saying this in a perverted way or bad way, mind you, but something just pulled me when I saw you. It feels like I had to make you feel better when I saw you there alone, looking all down and sad and as if you have given up with life.”

Kyungsoo wonders if he really looked that miserable last night.

A squeeze on his hand grabs his attention back. “You don’t have to do everything alone. You can choose whether you want to be alone or if you want to have people you trust around you. I know that sounds easy and practically won’t be that smooth, but you can try.”

A sudden hope blossoms in his chest and Kyungsoo feels a bit better. He doesn’t understand how such short words can make him feel this way.

“Will you help me then?” He whispers wishfully, eyes shining with hope. 

Jongin stares at him for a few seconds before a lopsided smile curls on his mouth.

“Sure, I would love to. Only if you want me to.”

For the first time that day, Kyungsoo feels a slight smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He turns his hand around to let his palm meet with the other man’s.

“I want you to help me feel better. I want to be happy. And I want to live my life without any regret.” He confesses his inner wish.

Jongin brings his other hand up, ruffling Kyungsoo on his messy damp locks. The gesture is oddly warm and comforting.

“In order to do that, let’s start over. We should begin with a proper introduction, I guess.”

Kyungsoo feels a chuckle bubbling in his chest and he squeezes Jongin’s hand which he is holding tightly, almost afraid to let it go.

“Hello, I’m Do Kyungsoo, someone who needs help to heal myself and someone… who also wants to know you better, I suppose.” 

Jongin laughs, the sound cheery and loud and just comforting. Kyungsoo lets out a soft squeak when the man leans forward to kiss his cheek.

“Hey there. I’m Kim Jongin. Someone who will be your sanctuary. And someone who hopes that I deserve to be your home for you to go back to.”

Kyungsoo lets a laugh out of his mouth when Jongin leans in close enough to kiss his tears away.


End file.
